``This is the third year in a row he was an all-state player,'' South Sumter Coach Inman Sherman said. ``As long as they make All-State teams, I don't care what team it is. That is quite a tribute.

``Every coach at our school is going to miss him. He is so much fun to coach and work with. He is one of those guys who do everything right. Not only is he blessed with talent, but he works at it. He is a great example of what you want a high school athlete to be.''

Crossley, 6 feet 1 and 212 pounds, had 82 tackles and two quarterback sacks for the season.

On offense, Crossley rushed for 1,329 yards and 26 touchdowns this season and had more than 5,000 yards rushing in his career.

Combined with Ellis, the senior quarterback whose career included 5,715 yards passing and 53 touchdowns, the Raiders are losing more than 10,000 yards of offense to graduation. Bryant, a junior, was Ellis' primary receiver, catching 33 passes for 655 yards and six touchdowns.

Beard, a 6-4, 260-pound offensive guard, was a little disappointed in his second-team selection after making first-team last year, but he did play most of the year with torn ligaments in his right wrist that occurred during the Panthers' second game of the season. He played much of the season with his wrist in a soft cast.

``It is a little bit disappointing,'' said Beard, who will be making official recruiting visits to Georgia Southern and Eastern Kentucky later this month. ``I worked as hard in the off-season, and maybe harder, this year than I did last year.

``I did have the wrist injury, but there are no excuses in football. I didn't miss any games. I played with one arm. I did the best that I could. I still played my heart out on every play.''

Dixon, like Crossley, may have been better known locally as an offensive player, leading the Wildcats to the second round of the state playoffs as a quarterback, but he also was one of the state's top defensive backs. Another player who has committed to South Florida, Dixon had 73 tackles during the season.

Lee was only the second area running back to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season, finishing with 2,034 yards and 24 touchdowns and Dawson had the most tackles of any defensive back in the area, finishing the season with 144. Jones rushed for 845 yards after rushing for more than 1,000 yards as a junior.